Breaking Hearts
by SilverWolf7
Summary: The Doctor has lost a lot of people throughout the years. Some leave him, others he leaves behind. All of them leave their mark.
1. Susan

This is a collection of short stories centring on the Doctor's Assistants/Companions leaving him (or him them) no matter what form that leaving may be. From One through to Ten and beyond. Television version only so far (but I should know more about the 8th Doctor's companions soon, as I have the books now, audios for the time being are out.)

For this story, I am classing anyone who journeys in the TARDIS with the Doctor, even just the once, as a Companion, even if he didn't like them (so, yes, I am including people like Adam, and the Master gets in too.) Some stories will be more than one Companion, because more than one left at the same time. Naturally, as it should, they go in order. From Susan all the way down to Donna so far. River (so far :P), Jackson and Christina won't be included. Sorry River, Jackson and Christina fans.

Some stories will be more than one Companion, because more than one left at the same time. Naturally, as it should, they go in order.

Breaking Hearts

Susan

There were a few things one had to fight for in the Universe and, though he may be old and his days for such over, the love of someone to live your life with is one of them.

When he had spotted Susan and David kissing on the cliff top, careful to let them think he hadn't noticed, he realised two things. One, he was sure that more than anything Susan would like to try and make things with her new love work, and two, that no matter what she would stay with him. She was convinced that she was needed for his health, that he'd not be able to look after himself without her.

Well now, Ian and Barbara were still close by and travelling with him, since each stop to Earth he had succeeded in landing in happened to be the wrong period of time. And just because he was old didn't mean he was about to give up now! Oh no, there was still way too much of the universe to see, and much more to _learn_.

So, once Ian and Barbara had gotten inside, he had double locked the doors so Susan's key wouldn't work. It had felt right at the time. She had fallen in love with the human man almost immediately, and in careful consideration during what had happened to the Earth and the defeat of the Daleks, he had decided that David was worthy of his granddaughter.

Now though, now she was gone.

A few hours to rest themselves from their latest adventure, and the first thing he had done after a fitful nap was go looking to see if Susan was alright. When he entered the girls' room and found only Barbara there, laying on her bed with a blanket about her and a book to keep her occupied, he remembered.

He was getting old and forgetting things a lot more often now. Half the time he still managed to get dear Ian's last name wrong.

Nothing he'd forgotten had hurt as much as this. He escaped to the lounge room, knowing that soon he'd have company in the form of a young Earth woman.

Well, let her come then. It wouldn't mean getting Susan back.

The only way he'd see her again was if he got lucky enough to hit the right time and place again. With his TARDIS's directional unit broken, he had no way of doing that.

He should have left her at home where she wouldn't have been in exile with him. Yet again, she had chosen to travel with him. And for the most part, it had made him a better person. Her too, now he thought about it.

Getting up, he went to the food and drink replicator, mulled over his options for a few seconds, before choosing a glass of brandy. When the drink was done, he picked it up, thought for a few more seconds before he took a sip and laughed gently.

"Oh, my dear girl. Here's to you and that young man of yours. May you live healthy and long lives together and know all the joys of love." He took another sip, before moving into the TARDIS console room. He set in the coordinates which should take him to the right time and place for his other travelling guests, before taking a seat and finishing off his drink.

With any luck, the TARDIS would get it right this time and if so, he may just have to find someone else to travel with.

He found he rather enjoyed the company.


	2. Ian and Barbara

This is the only other one right now written out, though I have started on the one for Vicki :)

Ian and Barbara

He had learnt a lot from Ian and Barbara. At first, their presence had been unwanted. He had taken them off with him on that first trip to both prove that the TARDIS could travel in time and to get them to know that they were unwanted company, but they were too stubborn to leave now they had seen the truth. In essence, to keep himself safe he had kidnapped them, though he felt as if they had invaded his home and got what they deserved.

He hadn't wanted then to let them go, as they were a danger to his and Susan's safety. They had seen the different dimensions of the TARDIS, knew that it was possible and it was too much information for them to have. They would tell others, and that would have been the end of them.

Barbara had been much more open minded about it then Ian had at first, but after he had tried to get them home and failed (the directional unit and chameleon circuit were broken) he had promised to get them back to their own time and place.

When he kept getting the wrong place, it made them both rather angry, and at first they had been positive that he was doing it on purpose.

He had no idea when that changed. For him and for them. One day they were at each other's throats and the next they were trying to get along, if only for Susan's sake. The next, they were sharing in the adventure together. They had become dear friends and very much wanted company.

They had helped him when he had let Susan go, and he gained Vicki's company.

But he couldn't be greedy now. He knew that they still longed for home more than the adventure. And with the Daleks' time machine, they had a way. He could get them safely back to their own place and roughly the same time. Well, there was a 50% chance at least, that they would get back safely.

After quite a bit of arguing on all their parts, and a talking to from Vicki, he had decided that he would let them go. He had set the coordinates, told them what to do and let them get on with it.

He would miss them, yes. They had been the first alien beings on board the TARDIS, and they had taken to it rather well. As had Vicki for that matter.

Vicki had watched as the Dalek time machine vanished. He hadn't. He had kept his grip on the girl's shoulder, before nudging her back in the direction of the TARDIS with him. Together, he and Vicki watched on the Time/Space Visualiser as Ian and Barbara found their way back, and they were happy.

He would be glad for them soon enough.

But at least seeing those two happy and together on the screen meant he had done the right thing in trying to send them back. He had gotten them home as he had promised, and that was the most important thing.

They had told him that they would remember always the adventures they had shared together. Well, he too would always remember them.


	3. Vicki

This one is shorter than the others so far. Some of these are going to be short, some are probably going to be longer than the Susan one. Because Vicki's leaving was similar to that of Susan's, there was less to say. I'm trying to make all these stories different, as the Doctor evolves because of the companions he surrounds himself with.

Hope this is alright :)

Vicki

The loss of Vicki was a lot like the loss of Susan. She had fallen in love with a young man and had wanted to follow him.

Not wanting to let Troilus think she had betrayed him, Vicki had gone back out after Steven, hurt by a poisoned weapon, was put in the TARDIS. Leaving Katarina to help him and Steven, she had felt that she needed to stay behind to help Troilus, all alone after the destruction of Troy, to start again.

He had let her go, knowing that she was doing what was right not only for herself, but for Troilus as well. With his blessing, she had smiled brightly at him, turned around and walked out of the TARDIS and his life, into the destruction of the battle just past.

He was proud of her. She had no idea whether or not she was about to be killed for being a traitor by the man she loved. It also wasn't likely that she was going to live happily ever after, and she knew that. But she had gone anyway.

If only he met more young people like her. She was a bright young individual who had lifted his spirits, who had made travelling through time and space a treat for all involved. She was always ready and willing for an adventure, and had taken to it a lot quicker than the others.

Maybe it was because she was from a later time period. Or maybe it was because she had lost all her family and spending her time running around with him was as good as life could get without a parent to look after her any longer.

He had done his best for her, and he was not at all sorry for it. She had grown up quite well under his care.

If he hadn't been so busy trying to save Steven from a painful death, he would have had a few words with her.

He hoped that things worked out for her in her new life.


	4. Katarina

Katarina

Oh, poor, dear Katarina.

So closed in thinking that she believed that she was dead and on her way to her promised land, that she thought that going with him had been a predestined trip through her death. How wrong she had been.

And now she _was_ dead, floating through space after she had sacrificed herself for him and Steven.

She had taken it as a test, because she knew that the trip to her promised land would be a dangerous one, and not all souls made it. Trapped, and on the verge of being killed, she had done the most selfless thing he had found in one of his travelling companions so far. She had pushed the button to end her own life, in so doing saving everyone else on board the ship they were on.

It was possible they all would have died if she hadn't done it.

A selfless thing indeed.

She had only been with him a short time, a very short time, but she had complete faith in him and Steven, believing him to be a lord, a god, and Steven a fellow passenger. And in the end, he wasn't sure if he had failed her for her death, or if he had done well by her, teaching her that there were other things than her promised land and Troy worth fighting for.

He supposed now he'd never know.

But it had been a very selfless thing to have done, and he would remember her always for it, and try to honour her memory as much as he possibly could.

It was the least he could do in return.


	5. Sara Kingdom

Sara Kingdom

At first he had not liked Sara at all.

Of course, at that time she was hell bent on killing him and Steven, even going so far as to kill her own brother who she had thought a traitor.

Once they had made it back into the TARDIS after their rather unorthodox trip around the galaxy, it soon became clear that she was one of the most loyal beings one could ever know.

Once she had the proof that the man she was following blindly was the traitor, not them or her brother, she had made her stand and decided to help them. The problem with getting to the right planet and at the right time was the biggest hurdle in front of them after that. He had finally gotten a working dimensional unit from the TARDIS of the Meddling Monk. Too bad it wasn't exactly compatible with his older model TARDIS.

Hard as nails and owning a fighting spirit like no other woman he had yet to meet, she had taken life travelling through time and space rather well. She was completely capable of taking care of herself without assistance of any man, or any other person at all for that matter. Something, while he was getting slowly used to in a woman of a lesser species, was a bit unheard of for him in human beings.

Yet again, most of the women he had travelled with had been rather strong and capable. He was beginning to think all his study of the human species had been wrong.

It was such a shame that Sara's time was rather cut short in such a horrid and tragic way.

For all her bravery and fighting skills, no human can beat what kills them barring accidents, murder and disease.

Time.

The Daleks had made a weapon to speed time up and it had been set off, and they had lagged behind. Steven had made it safely back to the TARDIS, and he himself could live for quite a while yet looking just like he did, since his species tended to live a lot longer than humans.

Still, it had drained years of life from him as well, and it was a miracle in itself that he had made it.

Poor Sara hadn't.

She had aged and died and decomposed to nothing by the time the bomb's effects had died away.

She had fought for as long as she could, until death had taken her. Every last ounce of breath put into either finding the bomb, or getting to the TARDIS.

Such a tragic end for a woman like Sara. Someone who had so much _life_ in her.

The only consolation he had for both himself and Steven was that she died fighting for what she believed to be right, and for people who she was unfailingly loyal to until the end. In that way at least, it was a fitting way for her to have died.

Well, life for him was still ongoing, and he'd do all he could to make sure no other person travelling with him would die in such a senseless way again.

He would protect every single one of them until _he_ breathed his last.


	6. Steven

Steven

Out of all the people he had travelled with so far, he hadn't left any of them behind quite like Steven. His leaving had him puffed up proud as a peacock.

Steven left the TARDIS not on Earth, unlike any companion before him, but on a planet not of his own, in the far distant future, to look after and rule over a people alien to him.

He had been chosen as a leader, someone who could easily help and see the troubles of both the different factions on the world, and he had decided to stay behind and help them grow with one another, to bridge the enormous gap that had formed between the Savages and the ones who thought they were above all others.

For an advanced species, the Counsellors of the more advanced people surely were very closed minded. Still, with Steven's help, he was sure that everything would be well again with the civilisation. Sure that everything would get back on course soon afterwards.

He would be missed though, oh yes, missed very much, especially by dear Dodo, who had cried at his departure.

After Dodo had gone to her room for a bit of a rest, he had made his way back to the food and drink replicator and made sure he had a cup of tea ready in no time. He went off into the sitting room, to read some of the books that the civilisation as a whole had written.

While Steven was never mentioned, all was said was that a great leader rose up from the ruins and joined their peoples together. He had always thought of this book as one of the first, as there was no publication date. Now, he knew differently.

Chuckling, and having a sip of his tea, he toasted the empty air and smiled. "Good work, my boy. Very good work, indeed. I knew you were ready."

He spent the rest of the day reading quite happily.


	7. Dodo

Dodo

Well! That was not nice, not nice at all! Leaving like that with no warning other than a letter sent by Ben and Polly. Staying in the country indeed, hmph!

She had wandered into his life just as suddenly as she had departed though, so he should have expected no less.

She had come on board simply because she was looking for a phone. He still had no idea exactly why, or if it was the police she was looking to call, though she had kept on asking for the phone. Though, still, not everyone was as open-minded as Dodo.

When they had landed after the TARDIS had gone off with her inside it (and thankfully, with Steven back inside) she had been a bit confused, though she had never wondered much at all about how something could be bigger on the inside, like all the others had.

She had been delighted to see so many different animals from so many different places from Earth. At first she had thought they were still in London, but after a short while she had caught the drift that they were on a ship and travelling through space quite a ways in her future.

She had never even blinked an eye at having travelled so far out of her own time.

And now, to leave him like this! With just a few words of dismissal like as if what he had shown her, what they had been through had meant absolutely nothing to her. The nerve!

Still, after he had taken off, and quite surprised to find that Ben and Polly had used the spare key of Dodo's to get in, he had forgiven her. It was in her nature to be cheerful, to take what comes her way, no matter what that might be.

She had been taken over in mind, and after he had gotten her free of that, had sent her off to be looked after until he was ready to leave again. He should have known that in the time she recuperated, she would have met new people, would have gotten along with them, and undoubtedly had found a place to stay.

Well, at least she was alive, looked after and happy.

While her leaving him the way she did made him angry, he did understand that it was her nature to do so.

He couldn't really fault her.

He was much rather the same, he was beginning to find.


	8. Ben and Polly

Ben and Polly

Ben and Polly were rather lucky. Out of all the people who had stumbled into the TARDIS so far, they were the only ones to get back to the right place as well as the right time. Almost to the day! Rather an achievement for him and his TARDIS.

He had been sad to see them go though, as they had been a rather good couple to have around. Polly with her secretarial skill and a light knowledge of technology from her own time period, and Ben his navy skills, they had been quite a duo.

Jamie had been equally sad to see them walk away, stating so out loud after they were out of sight.

He had rather they stayed with him and had tried to urge them to do so, but Ben missed the sea, and Polly wanted to get back to her normal life. So, in the end, he had decided that the best thing to do for all involved was to let them go.

He hoped they stayed together as they made quite the team. But Polly hadn't any navy training, and he doubted Ben would like to stay on land for too long.

Still, he hoped that both of them would go on to lead good lives.

They had led him to a good life after his first regeneration, the only thing he could do in return was to help them start on theirs.

Now, all he had to do to go on living his own good life was to find the TARDIS, which he had somehow lost...


	9. Victoria

Victoria

As he had said to Jamie, he had been fond of Victoria as well. Ultimately though, it had been her choice to leave, and she had taken it.

She had wanted to keep travelling, but just couldn't take the bad with the good any longer. She had reached her point of breaking during their little adventure with the seaweed.

He had known she would leave after that adventure. Even after she had been the one to save everyone on board the control deck and the ports. She had been dropping hints the entire time, little talks with either himself or Jamie that gave it away.

She had been the one to save the day, but was so sick of feeling afraid all the time. Tired of screaming.

He hadn't been surprised, but Jamie had. Or perhaps the boy had just not wanted to see it, since he had grown quite attached to her.

He had left Victoria in the capable hands of the Harris's. Especially Maggie, who seemed to understand that Victoria would need someone to help her have a good life in a century that was definitely not her own.

After Jamie had stalked off to his room to sulk, something which he really couldn't blame the boy for, he sighed and brought up a still of Victoria waving goodbye from that beach onto the screen.

"There we are then, Victoria. I hope you find yourself happy in time and lead a good life. You have a new family now."

He switched off the screen and went to his own room. He was more than a bit tired himself.

It seemed that every time he let one go, he felt that little bit more bad about it.

Perhaps he'd get used to it given some time.

Or, perhaps not...


	10. Jamie and Zoe

Jamie and Zoe

Never had he had a parting that he had felt so strongly about before.

Jamie and Zoe, because of his people, now didn't remember him. Well, they remembered their first little adventure with him, but after that, nothing.

Zoe had been with him a shorter time than Jamie, but in that time she had proved herself rather invaluable to him. A genius from the 21st century of Earth, with a photographic memory that had rarely failed them.

She had followed him and Jamie onto the TARDIS, thinking she could sneak aboard. He had spotted her however, but she had stayed on board and had fit in rather nicely.

It had been good to have someone who was up there in intelligence for him to talk with too and, he must admit, that definitely hadn't been Jamie.

Oh, Jamie...

Jamie had possibly been with him longer than even Ian and Barbara. He had been attached to that boy, just as Jamie had depended on him. Jamie hadn't been smart, he wasn't the strongest companion he'd ever had before either, but he made up for that in loyalty, bravery and personality.

They had bantered with each other all the time on silly things, threw insults at each other, and had quite a lot of laughs at each other, and at others around them. It was their way of bonding with each other and he would dearly miss it.

He hadn't wanted to say goodbye to either of them. But there he was, shaking their hands, his people watching, and he didn't want to show _them_ exactly how attached he had gotten to those two.

They were humans after all. A lesser species. And that didn't bode too well with the Time Lords.

Now they had to go back to their lives before they had travelled with him. He had no doubts that Zoe would be alright, dropped off back onto the Wheel, where there was a crew that she could help run with her knowledge. She had looked a bit confused, but he knew that she'd get on with life soon enough. The Time Lords told him as much when he asked.

He had feared for Jamie when he had first seen where he had been dropped off, with a red coat on top of him. But the boy had run the soldier off, shouting his war cry, and had survived. He had laughed in relief at that. It was just like Jamie to do something like that. At least that hadn't been lost. Again, he got reassurances.

And now, not only had he lost his companions, but the Time Lords, his own people, were going to force him to change, and were leaving him on one planet, during one time, and taking his knowledge of how to operate his TARDIS away from him, until they choose to let him out of exile.

Well, it could be worse.

At least it would be Earth, the planet he was most knowledgeable about.

The planet he was most fond of.

Still, he wasn't looking forward to it at all.


	11. Liz Shaw

Liz Shaw

"Doctor, you can't keep me here under orders. I may be your assistant, but I can leave whenever I want, not when you decide to let me go."

"Liz, you're being unreasonable. You're a good scientist and that's just what I need around this place."

Liz shook her head. "May I remind you, Doctor, that I only came here on the Brigadier's call for one case? That I stayed as long as I have should tell you something."

The Doctor glared at the woman, knowing she was right, but loathe to send her away. She wanted to go back to Cambridge by her word. Well, if that's what she wanted, fine.

"Alright, Liz. You can go. But on one condition! You keep in touch."

She smiled at him and nodded. "Of course, Doctor. Unlike yourself, I don't plan on skipping out of town at the next convenient time it suits me, without saying goodbye first."

He stumbled over words for a few seconds, before mumbling a quick "Yes," and turning away.

Truth be told, it was still a little too soon after his forced little stay here on planet Earth, he wasn't doing too well, and Liz had been a great help to him in trying to fix his TARDIS. As he had told her not too long ago, he felt lost and adrift without the old girl working.

Not that he'd admit to not doing well, but his gruff nature towards nearly everyone, and especially the militant mind of the Brigadier, should have been a bit of a giveaway of that. Not to mention, always trying to get the TARDIS repaired, even though the memory of how to do so had been taken from him.

And now he was going to lose the one person who had made him feel at least slightly normal being stuck here. Liz had a brilliant mind, used it quite regularly and half the time could at least keep up with him in a conversation or experiment, even if that was mainly due to most of the equipment they had lying around being early 70's primitive junk which she knew how to handle.

Liz had been a rock for him, and he didn't know if he'd ever be able to replace her in attitude, brains and an ability to put up with his moods on a regular basis.

Still, she was right, he couldn't keep her here against her will. So, he'd let her go.

He just hoped he would find someone to replace her fast, or he'd have nothing to do.

Boredom was not a good state for him to be in.


	12. The Brigadier and Sergeant Benton

Because it is as much a goodbye as any :P

* * *

The Brigadier and Sergeant Benton

It had been so odd to have been anywhere inside the TARDIS with the Brigadier and Benton along for the ride. But in a way, he had been glad that both of them had shown up. With the help of Bessie, they had been able to get the two civilians and Jo to the safety of the UNIT headquarters which had also been transported to the...nowhere land of anti-matter on the other side of a black hole.

They hadn't been too much help in defeating Omega, but his other selves had been. And Jo shouldn't have been there at all, the silly girl.

Still, life would go on for both the Brigadier and Benton. Leaving them behind, and having gotten his memories back on how to fix his TARDIS (and a new Dematerialisation Circuit along with the information) he had been all too happy to see the back end of Earth for a while. On his own terms and not those of his rather annoying people.

He knew though that he'd go back.

For one, it was where Jo belonged, and one day she'd want to go home. For another...he found himself actually liking them both, regardless of the militaristic ways they shared.

Benton wasn't half as bad as the Brigadier on that count, and had a pretty good head on his shoulders when he wanted to use it. The Brigadier just liked blowing things up, or so it felt most of the time.

Though he had tried his best to stay apart from everyone, to not make connections that would all too soon end, he found that the UNIT crew were like a secondary family to him. In some ways, he was closer to the Brigadier's army and men then he had ever been with his own family.

He just hoped he didn't get yelled at when he came back with Jo the next time they stopped by for a visit. He had begun to forget how dangerous the universe can be.


	13. Jo Grant

Jo Grant

He didn't think he'd ever felt quite so alone before.

While he would have loved to have stayed at the party to celebrate Jo's upcoming wedding to Clifford, he hadn't thought he was quite as welcome as the others. He had been the outcast, outside of the others. The alien, so to speak, in the midst of it all.

Instead he had wished her happiness, given her the blue sapphire from Metebelis III and vanished off into the night, when her back was turned.

No matter how much he had tried to stay apart from the others, as he had found when he had gotten the TARDIS in working condition again, he couldn't completely stop himself forming these little attachments. And those attachments were going to lead him into trouble one day. Further trouble, anyway.

Oh, Jo.

He'd gotten more attached to her than he had ever thought he would. He cared for her like she was a daughter to him. In the human sense, not a Time Lord one. He seemed to be going slightly native...

Well, he was bound to find someone else soon enough. Someone just as uplifting and energetic. And, hopefully, someone just as good at getting out of a sticky situation.

Too bad that right now he didn't want someone else.

What he wanted right now was to get back to his TARDIS, travel to some uninhabited world a galaxy away and have a proper sulk over this.

He only hoped Jo would forgive him for walking out on her like he had.


End file.
